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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. drill — army training
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. degree — an amount
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. rush — hurry
  17. degree — from a university
  18. face — part of the head
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. face — to confront
  21. deal — to handle
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. drill — a practice
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com